canoes could hold a crew of three and probably were big enough for ten people. Seawater would sometimes seep into the plank canoes, so one of the crewmembers would serve as the bailer. A young boy would usually serve as the bailer as the men paddled the plank canoes. It's not really known how long these canoes would last, it probably depended on how much wear and tear they experienced on the sea. The Chumash kept good care of the canoes, they would store them in moist shaded areas until they were ready to be used. They would check the canoes regularly and make repairs if necessary. They took good care of them as much as possible. The last Chumash canoes were made in about 1850. In 1913 an elderly Chumash man built a canoe for an anthropologist named John P. Harrington to show how they were built. In the past twenty years several of these canoes were built using John's notes to guide them. The Chumash Indians were also excellent basket we
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